Reinhardt Magazine ~ Spring 2016

Reinhardt M A G A Z I N E Spring 2016 ~ Reinhardt.edu

Vision Mission

Five-Year Strategic Plan

Create a unique Reinhardt Experience where each student thrives.

Reinhardt University educates the whole person by developing the intellectual, social, personal, vocational, spiritual and physical dimensions of its students.Â

Students & Stakeholders

Reinhardt Moves

Reinhardt Learns

Reinhardt Connects

Grow as a first choice university

Deepen academic relevancy

Expand visibility, distinction and reputation

Invest in faculty, staff, student and board development

Invest in telling our stories Increase program partnerships

Develop programs and pipelines for growth

Enrich student-centered services

Advance the connections to the community

Improve campus environment and technology solutions

Expand comprehensive student success program

Create a destination for faith, arts, culture and learning

Invest in student scholarships

Financial Resources Create Financial Vitality

Internal Processes

Organizational Capacity

Faith

Learning

Leading

From the

President

Dear Friends, What an amazing year it has been since I first arrived on this beautiful campus and began dreaming and planning for the future of Reinhardt University!

Over the past year, we have assembled a leadership team that will lead Reinhardt to become a premier, comprehensive university that provides a unique Reinhardt experience where every student thrives. The faculty, staff and students are invested in planning for an exciting future that builds on our rich past. Our efforts have culminated in a new strategic plan that focuses on three themes: Reinhardt Moves, Reinhardt Learns, Reinhardt Connects.

Reinhardt Moves

describes our work to position Reinhardt as a first choice university. Currently, Reinhardt awards almost $8 million in student assistance from the University, and our strategic plan calls for a significant increase in scholarships. In addition to a focus on creating affordability for our students, we are developing programs and pipelines for growth including our low-residency Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing and Bachelor of Business Administration online degree completion program, a cybersecurity program beginning this fall and computer science and nursing programs being planned for Fall 2017.

Improving our stunning campus and providing new technology solutions is another way Reinhardt is on the move. By the time students return this fall, there will be a new pedestrian concourse in front of the Hasty Student Center, beautification of Lake Mullenix, lights on the football, lacrosse and soccer field, and new roads to pave the way for the fall groundbreaking of a new theater.

Summer 2017 projects include renovation and expansion of the Gordy Dining Facility and new residence halls. A nursing building will follow in 2018. Reinhardt continues to eliminate paper waste and upgrade our processes through increased use of technology in our admissions, financial aid and registrar’s offices.

Reinhardt Learns is laser focused on deepening the

academic relevancy of our curriculum. We have raised more than $30,000 to create the Center for Engaged and Innovative Teaching and Learning, a collaborative that will bring experts to campus to facilitate robust,

innovative, high-impact conversations and professional development for our faculty. Students learn to apply their learning through internships, faculty-student collaborative research and service-learning projects. Over the next five years, Reinhardt will invest in faculty, staff and Board of Trustee development to create stronger professionals who work together to meet the changing opportunities in higher education.

The University is also enhancing our student services to ensure an accurate, seamless and pleasant family experience as students and their families navigate admissions, financial assistance and registration processes.

Reinhardt Connects speaks to

our deeply held value of connections with alumni, businesses and non-profits in North Georgia, the Methodist and other churches, and donors and friends of the University. Through our Center for Regional Studies, faculty and student researchers engage community members and civic leaders to study and share the rich artistic, cultural, social, political and environmental history of Cherokee County. Faculty and staff serve on numerous boards and community groups and share their expertise through The President’s College, a community connection for life-long learners.

Today’s Reinhardt University is growing and deepening its relevancy in the classroom and beyond as we focus on student learning.We seek to stretch students intellectually by creating habits of an alive and curious mind; we seek to challenge students spiritually creating habits of a caring and empathic servant’s heart; we seek to mentor students socially creating habits of respect, engagement and awareness; and we seek to motivate students physically and mentally creating habits of strength and wellness.

Reinhardt is on the rise. No matter your connection

with Reinhardt, I hope your growing pride will motivate you to send students our way and to continue supporting Reinhardt with gifts to advance our work for a great future. Thank you and may God bless and guide Reinhardt University in the days to come.

Sincerely,

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 3

Reinhardt M A G A Z I N E

Volume 21, Number 2, Spring 2016 President Kina S. Mallard, Ph.D. Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs Mark A. Roberts, Ph.D. Vice President for Enrollment Management Julie C. Fleming Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Roger R. Lee, Ed.D. Vice President for Finance and Administration David R. Leopard Vice President for Advancement and Marketing Timothy A. Norton Director of Athletics William C. Popp Editor Erika Neldner Design Editor Amanda Brown ‘98 Contributors Erika Neldner Tim Norton Huitt Rabel Joe Westbury Jason Hanes

Photographers Jeff Reed ‘16 Huitt Rabel '08 '15 Sharon Rentz Kelly Roberts ‘18 Erika Neldner Tim Cavender Greg Spell Cover Art Jeff Reed ‘16 Huitt Rabel '08 '15

On the Cover: Reinhardt University’s new mace, custom-made by Ray Marshall (see p. 16), contains the University seal and is a symbol of the University as a corporate body of scholarship and the President’s leadership. The head of the Reinhardt mace bears the RU seal, which features the lamp of knowledge and an arrowhead representing the influence of the Native Americans in Cherokee County, Waleska, Georgia.

Be in the Know by Following Reinhardt on Social Media ReinhardtUniversity ReinhardtAlumni ReinhardtAthletics ReinhardtAdmissions @Reinhardt_Univ @RU_Eagles @RU_Admissions reinhardt_univ

reinhardt.edu/youtube

Contents

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14

6

16

10

23

Announcing new programs Reinhardt offers new programs starting this summer and fall.

Alumni Spotlight Reinhardt helped them find their paths in life and their home.

Meet Dr. Brian (‘83) and Sue Hightower.

Support Reinhardt There are many ways for you to show your support for Reinhardt.

Learning from service Students use break from school to broaden their horizons and to serve others.

A new era Dr. Kina Mallard is inaugurated as Reinhardt’s President.

A Tradition of Reinhardt Class of 1946 alumna shares in her great-grandson’s commencement celebration.

26

We are the Champions Reinhardt athletics team finish at the top.

Blanche Hagan Chapel, built in 1987, is among the most visible buildings on the Reinhardt University campus, and is a centerpiece of the University’s affiliation with the United Methodist Church.

Low-residency

MFA starts in May

A new master's degree program brings together writers of many different worlds and teaches them varied styles from fiction and creative-nonfiction to poetry and scriptwriting. Reinhardt University received SACS-COC accreditation for the new Master of Fine Arts in creative writing earlier this year. The Etowah Valley MFA program is seven semesters with five individual studies, four online courses, three writing residencies and one book. It kicks off this summer with a 10-day summer residency.

The low-residency program is geared to help those with career and family obligations further their education. Core faculty in the MFA program that will mentor students one-on-one and teach the residency workshops and online classes bring great expertise in the field to share with those looking to further their education in creative writing.

“Reinhardt University’s move to launch a low-residency MFA program in creative writing is palpable evidence of our commitment to providing graduate education for students who cannot take two or three years out of their professional life or family obligations to pursue their educational goals,” said Dr. Mark Roberts, vice president and dean for Academic Affairs and professor of English at Reinhardt University.

Along with the MFA, the University has taken over the James Dickey Review from Lynchburg College in Virginia.

scriptwriting

poetry

fiction

creative

nonfiction

Cybersecurity

courses to take shape this fall A major in Cybersecurity is coming to Reinhardt for those interested in computer forensics and security. While the full degree program is expected to be approved for and in the catalogue for the 2017-18 academic year, pending SACS-COC approval, incoming freshmen can get a head start on some of the coursework for the Cybersecurity four-year degree.

The program incorporates both math and information technology classes that focus on everything from investigation and analysis techniques to gather and preserve evidence from a computing device to protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorized access.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 5

ALUMNI

SPOTLIGHT

Plugging in...

Hightowers credit Reinhardt for making Cherokee County 6 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

their home

B

eing part of a community is more than just living somewhere — it means connecting with those around you and getting involved.

That’s exactly what Reinhardt alumnus and Cherokee County resident Dr. Brian Hightower and his wife, Sue, believe is the key to a successful future.

Hightower, superintendent of the Cherokee County School District, met his wife of 32 years on the beautiful campus of then-Reinhardt College.

"We both entered in the fall of 1981 and we were there through ’83," said Hightower, the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and keynote speaker at the Spring commencement ceremony. "Upon graduation (Reinhardt was a two-year school), they asked me to stay on and do housing. Sue had gone and entered at Kennesaw, and I stayed on and did housing."

They met in October of their sophomore year — first as friends. They had some classes together and spent time together.

"We became really good friends and I think we realized pretty early that we wanted to be married, and obviously our story is not your traditional story of you finish college, then you date and then you get married," Hightower said.

Mrs. Hightower said they married shortly after and became resident assistants in the campus dormitories. "I was a dorm mother at the ripe old age of 23," she said.

Their daily lives were busy — mornings spent at Kennesaw State College furthering their education and evenings back at Reinhardt coordinating housing and fulfilling their roles as dorm parents.

Opportunities at Reinhardt allowed them to marry early — as they both agreed that without the ability to live on campus and inexpensive and/or free meals, they could not have afforded to tie the knot at that time in their lives.

Reinhardt wasn’t necessarily where they saw themselves in college — the current superintendent of schools was not even sure he wanted to go to college while Mrs. Hightower relocated from Kentucky to attend classes.

"For me, I wasn’t even going to go to

school. I lived in Cartersville, was over here working in Canton and some people that worked there in the business I was in were associated with Reinhardt, and they said 'You really need to give Reinhardt a shot,'" Hightower said. "I had done some leadership things in school but I was also still grasping at what I wanted to do next.

School was there, but it wasn’t at the

and then staying local. It’s home," Mrs. Hightower said. "It’s exciting to see the new buildings, all the arts, sciences that are offered. But yet, when I go on campus, I’m still seeing the things that are familiar to me. It hasn’t grown so large that it isn’t unrecognizable."

Hightower said he sees much strength in the university’s programs and the

‘A pivotal point was Reinhardt.

Once I plugged in and got a feel for what it really could

be, there was an answer. There was a hole there and Reinhardt filled it for me.’ forefront. It’s funny now sitting here with a doctorate saying I wasn’t even sure I was going to go to school but a pivotal point was Reinhardt. Once I plugged in and got a feel for what it really could be, there was an answer.

"There was a hole there, and Reinhardt filled it for me," Hightower said.

Mrs. Hightower, who is the lead facilitator for the Cherokee County School District’s Special Education Program, said Reinhardt gave her what she needed in the way of forming leadership skills.

"I’m not sure that I would be in the leadership role that I’m in right now if I had not gone to a small campus because Reinhardt gave me the opportunity to see where my strengths were and become a leader," she said. "I think had I been at a huge university, I probably would have stayed in the background. But they gave me the opportunity to develop those leadership roles, be a resident assistant, take some leadership classes and that served me well."

It was because of Reinhardt, they say, that they chose Cherokee County as their home to raise their family including Jonathan, 25, and Stephanie, 23.

The Hightowers agree they have enjoyed watching the university grow but keep its identity and devotion to students.

"It’s exciting because it’s still small but I think they are giving a lot more opportunities to a lot of people. I love that they have an education department that’s doing so well. I think some of our best teachers are going to that program

– Dr. Brian Hightower ‘83 commitment to do more as time and resources allow. But as an educator, he sees tremendous value in what the Price School of Education is doing — producing teacher candidates that are ready to hit the ground running in the classroom.

"It’s also a validation of our program — the things we hold precious. When you see your university succeed and grow, it means that there is a contagiousness to it that people maybe see the same things that you saw and they value the same things that you value," he said.

(Continued on page 13)

Dr. Brian V. Hightower graduated with an Associate degree from Reinhardt in 1983. He now is the superintendent of the Cherokee County School District and was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 7

Dr. Jonathan Good has led the Faculty

Senate at Reinhardt University for three years, and sees a bright future for the University under President Mallard’s leadership.

“I think that President Mallard has the capacity to take RU to a new level in terms of recruiting and retaining students, raising money and just getting Reinhardt’s name out there,” Dr. Good said.

Since joining Reinhardt in 2004, he has seen Reinhardt transform into a university that is becoming a destination and growing into more than a hometown college.

As leader of the Faculty Senate, Dr. Good sees getting to know students and finding the best way to meet their individual needs are of the utmost importance.

Ensuring an atmosphere where every student thrives is no easy feat, but one large component, he said, is to remember why you, as a faculty member, are here: to help grow every student to the best of their abilities and to encourage them to always do better.

“You can never abandon academic standards, but you 8 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

have to be available to students to help them to meet those standards,” Good said. “Office hours matter, as do such things as getting to know something about each student, speaking to them outside of class, or grading assignments in a timely fashion.”

Good is married to fellow professor, Dr. Anne Good, and they have two daughters. The couple met while studying at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Anne Good, who also teaches in the history department, traveled to The University of Minnesota at the end of spring semester where she was working a short-term fellowship at the James Ford Bell Library. She also has been selected to attend Council of Independent College’s (CIC) seminar on Sight and Sound in Renaissance and Baroque Europe 1300–1700. Dr. Jonathan Good also will participate in a seminar this summer — he was chosen by the CIC and the Center for Hellenic Studies to participate in an Ancient Greece in the Modern Classroom seminar, "The Histories of Herodotus."

Hyatt to lead McCamish School of Business

Dr. Kathy Hyatt , who joined Reinhardt in 2008, has been named the new Dean of the McCamish School of Business, effective July 1.

“She has excellent student evaluations, she is an excellent teacher and she is a publishing scholar in the area of business ethics,” said Dr. Mark Roberts, vice president and dean for academic affairs. “She has credibility across the university and all the schools which is also important when you work with other deans.”

Hyatt said she is honored to be chosen to lead the business school and said she has a vision coming into the role.

"I would like to help increase the visibility of the school of business by engaging in more partnerships with local businesses or high schools and promoting the school of business in the community," she said. "I would also like to focus on recruitment and retention by creating as many

Dr. Theresa Ast, professor of History and chair of

the Interdisciplinary Students Program (IDS) has taken her love for history to education beyond the classroom walls.

In March, Dr. Ast spoke about women in science at the Hill Freeman Library as part of Women’s History Month. Also in March, she traveled to South Georgia after being invited to be the external reviewer for the IDS, as Thomas University faces its reaccreditation audit process.

Susan Naylor presented a session titled “Wisdom

Through the Ages” at the Georgia Music Teachers Association State Conference at Agnes Scott College in November. The session included a survey of Teaching Tips from GMTA Teachers of the Year from 2002 to the present. Ms. Naylor was named the GMTA Teacher of the Year for 2014-15, which culminated at the State Conference.

Thirteen Reinhardt music majors attended the State Conference with Ms. Naylor.

Dr. Karen Owen, assistant professor of Public Administration and director of the Master of Public Administration program, has contracted with an academic publisher to write a book on women in southern politics. Publication is expected to be forthcoming this summer.

experiences and opportunities for students as possible."

She said she is interested in continuing to revise and update the curriculum as often as needed "to be as innovative as possible."

Above all, Roberts said Hyatt's integrity stands out as her best trait.

D r. J a c o b Harney, Dean

of the School of Mathematics and Sciences, recently had an advising book published that he co-edited and helped author. It is available on Amazon for Kindle. “Biology for the Curious: Why Study Biology?” will be given to each new Biology and Pre-Nursing major.

Dr. Cory Schantz, assistant professor of music-voice in the School of Performing Arts, appeared as the baritone soloist in the world premiere of Michael John Trotta’s Winter’s Light, a song cycle for soprano, baritone, chamber choir, orchestra and dancers.

The performance, under the auspices of The New York Repertory Singers, was presented at HolyTrinity Lutheran Church in New York City.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 9

Did you know?...

Reinhardt provides $8 million annually in institutional aid.

Reinhardt’s budget of $26 million is 70% dependent on tuition revenue, meaning that 30% comes from gifts, grants and income from endowment.

Your gift now to the Reinhardt Annual Fund will help guarantee student success this fall. Please give generously to the Reinhardt Annual Fund at www.Reinhardt.edu/ GiveNow or by mail to: Office of Advancement Reinhardt University 7300 Reinhardt Circle Waleska, GA 30183

Brown-Whitworth Gift Propels RU Wrestling Program

T

hanks to a very generous grant of $250,000 from the BrownW hitworth Foundation, Reinhardt’s Wrestling program is ready to soar.

This is not the first gift from Brown-Whitworth, of Dalton, whose business, Brown Industries, has grown over many years since its founding in 1954

by James Brown, a former RU trustee. In fact, the athletic complex that includes the gymnasium, athletic offices and classroom space is named, in part, for James and Sis Brown. Also, the beautiful entry sign welcoming students, faculty/staff and guests to campus also was made possible by the Brown-Whitworth Foundation.

Under the leadership of highly regarded wrestling coach, Jeff Bedard, Reinhardt Wrestling will take to competition this fall having already secured 20-plus wrestlers as new students to RU. When renovations are completed in the coming months, RU wrestling

will have renovated space for training, practice and competition in the Brown Athletic Complex commonly called the “blue gym.”

“Reinhardt students, including these new wrestlers, are able to thrive here thanks, in part, to generous friends like the Brown family who make possible facilities and programming through their generosity,” said RU President Kina S. Mallard. “We are exceedingly grateful to Sis Brown, daughter Lynn Whitworth and grandson Chip Whitworth, as well as the entire Brown family and the leadership of Brown Industries, for this wonderful gift to propel this program forward.”

The 1883 Club Taking its name from the year of Reinhardt’s founding, Reinhardt’s 1883 Club includes anyone making a monthly gift of at least $18.83 ($225 per year) to the Reinhardt Annual Fund.

Today’s Reinhardt includes over 1400 students studying in more than 40 disciplines in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs at our campus, off campus sites and online. Students, faculty and staff are strengthening the focus on the core values upon which Reinhardt was founded.

You can be a part of this tradition with your gift of $18.83 per month as an 1883 Club member, or in any amount you can afford.

1883Club.Reinhardt.edu

JOIN A TRADITION OF

belonging

28TH ANNUAL

Dave Henritze Scholarship Golf Classic Raises More Than $140,000

1

3

2 The 28th annual Dave Henritze Golf Classic, held on May 2nd at Hawk’s Ridge Country Club, raised over $140,000 for student scholarships. Dave Henritze, a longtime supporter and trustee of Reinhardt, was passionate about supporting students attending Reinhardt, a passion now continued by his family including son, Fred, and his sons, Hunter and Porter.

1: Classic champions were Fred Weir, Tom Price, Bill Jones and Ryan Carter.

2: President Mallard, pictured here (l-to-r) with former tournament chair, Glenn Warren, David Buruss, and Earl Dolvie.

4

3: Michael Wheeler, Bruce Wood, Tournament chair, Tommy Beman, and Doug Crenshaw (l-to-r), enjoyed a spectacular north Georgia day in support of student scholarships at Reinhardt.

4: Former vice president for advancement, JoEllen Wilson, shown here with Bob Buchanan, was right-at-home supporting the Classic as a volunteer.

5

5: Volunteers like Tonya Parker of LGE Credit Union, flanked here by students Darrell “Juice” Arnold and Clifton Clark— both officers of Reinhardt’s Student Government Association, make possible the successes of the Henritze Golf Classic.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 11

Christian Ruiz Hometown: Canton

ADay

A Focus on Cherokee Residents

A

Heather Stafford Hometown: Canton

Elijah Hirsh Hometown: Woodstock

Vashaun Washington Hometown: Woodstock

Ashlyn Brandon Hometown: Woodstock 12 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

scholarship fund geared at helping Cherokee County students pay for a portion of their tuition is going strong at Reinhardt, with many realizing the importance of offering extra money to those who earn it.

ADay for Reinhardt — also known as the Cherokee County Grant Program — is in its 28th year and has provided more than $3.5 million to Cherokee County students attending Reinhardt.

“The satisfaction to me is the benefit to the students,” said Dale Morrissey, director of development & external relations. “It’s all about the students, hearing their story and being a part of their story.”

There are three levels of grants in the program: $2,000 per year for students who are full-time Cherokee County residents, are enrolled as f u l l - t i m e d e g re e - s e e k i n g students, have at least a 3.0 grade-point average and live on campus; $1,000 per year for students who meet the previous criteria but do not live on campus; and $500 per year for students who are full-time residents of Cherokee County and are enrolled as full-time degree-seeking students.

Woodstock resident Elijah Hirsh is one of the 2015-16 school year recipients and said Reinhardt felt like the perfect fit for him because of both the value of the education and the activities in which students can be involved.

“Reinhardt has been everything I could have asked for,” Hirsh said. “The professors want nothing but the best for the students.

It is a wonderful campus that will support you in any way it can.”

Heather Stafford, of Canton, said she enjoys the first-class educational opportunities, as well as the time her professors take with students — and of course, who could forget the beautiful campus.

“I love Reinhardt’s small classes and the one-on-one I can get with my professors,” Stafford said. “I love the art building. It’s usually very peaceful and overlooks the lake, such a pretty spot and great inspirational spot.”

Giving to ADay is easy — the Office of Advancement hosts events throughout the year to raise money for its program, including a 5K set for September in downtown Canton. The 5K for ADay will be held Sept. 17 in Cannon Park, 103 East Main St. This is the second year the 5K has been held. Last year, it raised $12,000.

Runners can pre-register for $25; after Sept. 9 and up until race day, the fee is $30. Children and student registration is $15. Those interesting in supporting a Reinhardt student can do so by paying $25. Register online at ADay5K. Reinhardt.edu.

Sponsorships are available from Platinum level at $3,000 to Bronze level at $500.

Depending on the sponsorship level, sponsors can receive features on the Reinhardt website, name on the mile marker signs, sponsorship signs and banner, among others.

For more information about the 5K, including how to become a sponsor or to register, as well as the many ways to support Reinhardt University, visit ADay5K. Reinhardt.edu.

Sue and Brian Hightower stop by the Samuel C. Dobbs Science Hall Plaza during a recent visit and ran into one of their former chemistry teachers, Andy Edwards. Dr. Brian Hightower delivered the keynote address at the May 6, 2016 Commencement Ceremony.

(Continued from Page 7) "For us, seeing Reinhardt grow is a symbol of its success and it’s doing good things, not just in the community," Hightower said. "It’s not Cherokee County’s best kept secret anymore, it’s now a player in the state of Georgia and it’s doing great things for young students."

While they spend their days as educators, their time off is spent enjoying the outdoors.

Hiking is a favorite pastime — Hightower has taken it a step further by climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro.

"Even when we hike and camp, we like to get groups together and enjoy those things together. Hiking has been a big one for the last few years. I had the opportunity two February breaks ago to climb Kilamanjaro and, for me, it was my first trip to Africa and what a great way to do that," he said. "I got to go spend some time in a community there in Tanzania and got to go visit a school and ultimately climb the mountain."

In addition to enjoying Mother Nature, the Hightowers spend time at a local gym and the YMCA in Canton. While Mrs. Hightower said she would rather stay on the sidelines for the more adventurous activities, Hightower enjoys adventure races including Spartan, Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder and Rugged Maniac.

He’s not afraid to get dirty, but, for the most part, when he is seen around town, Hightower almost always is sporting

a bowtie. While he does not consider himself fashion forward, the one-time challenge has turned into an almost daily fashion trend.

"I don’t know if I will always stay with a bowtie but it’s worked really well. I took on this challenge. One of our schools — Teasley Middle School — instituted ‘Bowtie Thursday.’ I was going over to see them one day so I thought ‘I’m going to don the bowtie.’ For me, it stuck," Hightower said.

Since Teasley Middle School introduced the bowtie Thursday, River Ridge High School has added a bowtie day and athletes will wear them when they go to an away game.

Others in the district have worn a bowtie as a sign of support for Hightower as the recently named superintendent.

Both Brian and Sue Hightower feel that "plugging in" to their university and their community is something Reinhardt students need to take to heart. It is when they plug in that they find their true selves and their passion.

"Be involved, ask questions, don’t be afraid to try new things and plug in," Mrs. Hightower said. "Find what is going to make you happy. I started in nursing and thought that is what I wanted to do. I was almost finished and it was going to take a long time to switch my major, but I felt I needed to switch. It was really worth my time to make the change to be happy to do what would make me happy."

"Connect with people. That is a real key when you are in college," Hightower added. "There are so many opportunities.

Had I taken that (virtual) route and missed

Connect with people.

That is a real key when you are in college.

"One thing I thought was really neat was the board meeting where you were going to be named, some of the staff came in bowties, that was a sign of respect and tribute. I don’t know if you caught on to it or not. It really meant a lot to me," Mrs. Hightower said, addressing her husband.

– Dr. Brian Hightower ’83

out on being on campus connecting with classmates, getting to know my professors — that is a richness a virtual environment can’t give you."

For more from the sit-down interview with Dr. and Mrs. Hightower, visit www.reinhardt.edu.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 13

Taking

Learning

Outsitdhe eClassroom

Group photo in front of the Pyramid of the Sun: Front row: Ben Porter, Bria White, Elizabeth Vickery, Abigail Finn, Dr. Cheryl Brown, Dakota Berezin, Dr. Anne Good Second row: Rafael Salazar-Cruz, Dr. SimonPeter Gomez, MacKenzie Pitts, Michelle Bonin, Professor Elizabeth Smith, Tommy Miller.

Rev. Thrasher's group: from left, Stephanie Merchant, Marianella Lopez, Juice Arnold, Marvin Monroe, Alex Lee, Ansley Avera, Analicia Blanco, Abby Snelson, Kaylee Rinesmith, Julie Kirk and Ariel Murphy.

A large part of RU Outdoors’ spring break trip was joining the crew of the Daedalus: Pictured, back row, from left, Aubrie Harding, Clifton Clark, Victoria Cassidy and Tyler Graham, and front row, from left, Avery Miller, Jona Dangel and Ashley Alligood.

14 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

break wasn’t just about cancelled classes and having fun for all Reinhardt students. Many students put their time off March 7-11 to good use by improving their knowledge, performing community service and learning new sports.

Dr. Cheryl Brown, Dr. SimonPeter Gomez, Elizabeth Smith and Dr. Anne Good took nine students on a trip to Mexico to learn about the culture and to deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Dr. Brown co-founded Vidas de Esperanza, a non-profit with a mission to help community development and meet social needs in the area primarily around Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, Mexico. She routinely visits the area in Mexico and has been bringing students since 2005.

Prior to their trip, students participated in fundraising and supply drives to meet the needs of the people they would be helping in Ixmiquilpan.

While they were there, they visited six schools and one university, Brown said.

“They distributed 260 bags of school supplies and beanie babies to the kids,” she said. “They also helped mix concrete and carry it up a ladder to put a top on the cistern system in the village of El Tablon.”

The Reinhardt community greatly supported the effort by raising $3,000 for the well system during fall semester.

“RU students have pledged another $1,000 to complete the cistern and bring clean water to 700 families,” Brown said.

“This was our third trip at RU and my 20th trip overall to Mexico with students."

Keeping Service in Mind

The Rev. Jordan Thrasher took nine students and two faculty/staff to Nashville, Tennessee over spring break where they were able to not only learn about important national history but also give back to those in the area who needed it.

“We very often get locked into the understanding that mission means acts of service, so I wanted to introduce them to the concept of justice,” Thrasher said.

“The purpose of the trip was to open up an understanding of justice by listening to strangers’ stories."

Their first stop for service was Thistle Farms, an organization originally started from a campus ministry.

Thistle Farms is a place for at-risk women who have a history of drug abuse or were victims of human trafficking. While the women go through the program, they take recycled items and natural products and turn them into stationery that is shipped worldwide. Those who are still in the program, as well as those who have completed it, can work in the Thistle Stop Café — a local restaurant where the students dined twice during their trip.

Michelle Bonin shovels sand for the concrete mixer as other RU students supervise.

“While we were eating, a woman named Donna came out and spoke to us,” Class of 2018 student Ansley Avera recounted.“She expressed her gratitude for us choosing to spend our time there and explained how much Thistle Farms has changed her life.”

The students also received a live lesson in history, as two Freedom Riders told their story during the Civil Rights tour.

“The two men, Freddy and Matthew, explained how they were only 19 and 20 when they decided to take part in this movement,” Avera said. “They participated in sit-ins and were two of the actual Freedom Riders one reads about in history books.”

After spending an afternoon sightseeing, the students were right back to work as they planted trees and did yard work for Monroe Harding, a foster home for students of varied ages.

“While we were there, we worked to plant the nurseries of trees on their campus; making sure they can be proud of the place they live was one way we were able to interact with them," Avera said.

After their hours of yard work, the students didn’t stop — they headed to Workers Dignity (also known as Dignidad Obrera). The organization is a place where workers can turn when they feel they have been cheated out of their wages.

The organization helps them settle wage disputes, and if the issue is not resolved, Workers Dignity raises public awareness about the treatment.

“Everyone on the trip expressed how much meaning this spring break trip carried for our lives,” Avera said. “People have done incredible things at our age, and we can do the same.”

Recreation and Learning More about Nature

The Reinhardt Outdoors group set sail for their spring break off the coast of Alabama.

Dr. Walter May, assistant dean of students and director of student activities, and Steven Vosika, a program coordinator, took 15 students and one alumnus to the Alabama shores where they joined the crew of the Daedalus, a two-masted sailing vessel. They cruised the waters off Orange Beach and Gulf Shores in addition to giving paddleboarding a try.

Along with sailing, the students got the opportunity to hike and explore the 6,816-acre Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge seeks to conserve an undisturbed beach and dune ecosystem, which serves as a refuge for endangered and threatened plant, fish and wildlife species, as well as a habitat for migratory birds.

Reinhardt junior Tyler Graham said the bonding among fellow students was his favorite part of the trip.

“The most rewarding part of the trip was being with friends and creating new relationships with people," he said.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 15

The Start of a New Era: Dr. Mallard

The man behind the mace

Ray Marshall is known on campus as the man who builds just about anything. His handiwork can be seen in the Registrar’s Office, the

16 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

football offices and even in the President’s home. But one particular piece he crafted stands for scholarly leadership and authority.

Marshall, who is a member of the Reinhardt Physical Plant Department, created the mace in 2016 for the inauguration ceremony.

Traditionally, the mace is borne in procession immediately before the president and is placed before him or her during academic ceremonies.

It took Marshall working a little bit at a time over two weeks to beautifully craft the symbol from black walnut and maple.

Marshall’s hand-crafted mace saw its first ceremony in April as Dr. Kina Mallard was officially installed as Reinhardt’s president. It appeared again during the 2016 Spring Commencement Ceremony.

officially inaugurated as President Page 16, top left, clockwise: Board of Trustees Chairman Billy Hasty speaks during the April 15 Inauguration Ceremony; former presidents Dr. J. Thomas Isherwood and Dr. Floyd Falany; (from left) Eddie Smith, Bobby Dyer, Dr. Mallard, Joy and John Bennett, and Tim Norton; the Presidential Mace was crafted by RU Maintenance Tech, Ray Marshall; Dr. Kina Mallard and First Man, Steve Dietz; and Dr. Mallard with her new golf cart, Eagle 1, gifted to her by her husband, First Man Steve Dietz.

Page 17, from left: daughter-in-law, son and granddaughter of Dr. Kina Mallard and Steve Dietz, Mallory Dietz, Brad Dietz and Adeline Dietz; and Erika Neldner, marketing writer for RU, Dave Boggess, Dr. Pam Wilson, Hamp Reynolds '15 and Katie Purcell (2016-17 SGA President) enjoy conversation at the gala. Below: Canton City Manager Billy Peppers and his wife, Julie, enjoy the gala.

F

amily, friends, colleagues and community members surrounded Dr. Kina Mallard as she officially was installed as the president of Reinhardt University in April. During her inauguration address, Dr. Mallard highlighted what she sees in the present and on the horizon for Reinhardt’s future.

“Reinhardt’s future depends solely on how well we do our work in the present,” Mallard said. “Who Reinhardt will be in the next 10, 20 and 30 years is being determined by the vision-casting, strategic planning, personnel-hiring, decision-making, fundraising, curriculum-development, and campus and facilities planning we are doing right now.”

Immediate plans include work at the Hasty Student Center where a pedestrian concourse is planned, Lake Mullenix and preparations for a new theater. She said there will be a walking path from the Fincher Art Building to the Falany Performing Arts Center. The new nursing building is expected in 2018.

Mallard addressed those in attendance about the work she and her team have done over the last year and the plans laid out for the future, including the creation of a Center for Effective and Innovative Teaching and Learning which, according to Mallard, “will bring experts to campus to facilitate robust, innovative, high-impact conversations and professional development of our faculty.”

Prior to the inauguration ceremony,

held April 15 at the Falany Performing Arts Center, a special prayer service at the Blanche Hagan Chapel on campus was held to pray for Mallard and her leadership team, students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Board of Trustees.

The day was capped off with a gala held at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Conference Center in Canton with more than 200 guests in attendance.

Mallard is ready to guide Reinhardt University on its next steps in strengthening faith, education and leadership. "The work we have already completed and the work we have before us will lend razor sharp focus to our vision of creating a unique Reinhardt Experience where each student thrives and will be building on the three Reinhardt values we identified last fall: Faith, Learning and Leading,” she said. “Interwoven into each of these values is Reinhardt’s strong commitment to service.”

Mallard was selected as the University’s 20th president in February 2015. She took the reins leading the University in May last year. Mallard comes from Carson-Newman University in Tennessee where she served as executive vice president and provost. She holds a Doctorate in communication and a Master of Arts in organizational communication from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Bachelor of Science in speech and theatre from Middle Tennessee State University. She and her husband, Steve Dietz, have five children and one grandchild.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 17

Lessons learned

By Joe Westbury

J

ames T. “Jay” Jordan had the normal jitters about his first day of college like any freshman would encounter, except his were far from normal.

When the 18-year-old Canton resident walked onto the campus of Reinhardt College in 1966, he was seeking his two-year associate’s degree just like everyone else. But to historians, he was something more — the first black student to integrate the Waleska campus.

“I was a little nervous at first because I had not been around a lot of whites. I had worked at a chicken processing plant and we would engage in small talk now and then while working, but when the noon hour came, we would go our separate ways for lunch.

That’s just the way it was,” he remembers.

The soft-spoken teen enrolled in the college at the invitation of Reinhardt President Dr. James Rowland Burgess. It was the administrator’s vision for a racially diverse campus that served as the catalyst for Reinhardt’s break with the past.

Burgess’s bold experiment plunged Jordan into a totally white world where he would be the only black person on campus.

He was a product of segregated Georgia and attended a private black high school. His friends were largely all black. He attended a black church where his father was pastor, shopped at local businesses in Canton, and occasionally ate “carry out” from white and black restaurants.

18 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

But his lif e was about to change. It was like he had been swimming in the shallow end of the pool and suddenly jumped off into the deep end. He was suddenly a commuter student, driving the five miles each day from his Canton home to the campus.

White world by day, black world by night.

It wasn’t like he had never been around whites, but it was more like visiting the white world now and then. In the segregated South, blacks had their own culture and society and had little reason or encouragement to mix with the white culture — separate but equal, as the politically correct saying went.

That’s just the way it was.

Jordan didn’t need Reinhardt’s assistance; he already had offers from black colleges who welcomed his admission. His parents had made it clear years earlier that he would go to college, the only question was where. But until Burgess approached him and his parents, he had always planned on receiving a black education.

“I really didn’t think too much of it, I just wanted to get my degree,” Jordan said as he looks back over this year’s 50th

anniversary. “I knew it was going to be a I actually had a cousin who couldn’t play basketball worth a lick,” Jordan said with a different experience for me as well as those smile and a chuckle. around me, but I didn’t expect any strong Though life at Reinhardt was good, opposition.” it was not always good elsewhere in And there was none. To many, he was an Cherokee County. He clearly remembers anomaly that took some getting used to. To one afternoon as he walked out of a store him, he felt a little like a fish out of water. and a white threw a beer can at his car.

While the classroom experience was That’s just the way it was. positive, Jordan said the walls between He remembers the anger but also the the races began to come down in the grace he was taught by his minister father. campus snack bar. That’s where students Grace to accept the insult and move on. would gather between and after classes for He needed to remember that he had good informal conversation. white friends and good black friends, just The ice was broken around those tables like those of both races in the band in and fluorescent-lit vending machines, which he played. and college life became a totally different “My father impressed on me that there experience. The relaxed socializing allowed Jay Jordan, Reinhardt’s first Africanall the pieces of life’s puzzle to come American student, and Dr. Kina Mallard. are good people in every race regardless of their skin tone,” he said. together as one big picture. Students It would be another full year until the lowered their guards over a Coke, a On previous page, Jay Jordan is pictured with his 'daughter,' Gwendolyn Willis, second black student, a young woman sandwich and a bag of potato chips. and his parents, the Rev. Oscar and It was an education on both sides of the Doris Jordan, as Reinhardt University named Cynthia Durham, would enroll at racial divide, a divide that slowly began to celebrated its 50th year as an integrated Reinhardt. Until then Jordan paved the way, breaking down misconceptions and shrink through serendipitous encounters campus in February. being the good example of his race, which such as his involvement in intramural his father taught him to be. sports and being a founder, along with others on campus, of “I never thought of myself as a trailblazer in those days, I was Omega Kappa Pi fraternity — affectionately and humorously just a college student,” he said. “I considered this was part of my known as “OK Pie” for short. destiny. We don’t know how our lives will end up, we just take life More social interaction, more casual conversation, more one day at a time. lowering of barriers — a walk between buildings brought chance “I strongly believed that this was God’s plan for my life.” encounters to meet someone new. A walk to the dining hall After two years on the campus of Reinhardt, Jordan moved on brought opportunities to compare class notes. to West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) Those walks opened up the campus to Jordan and his classmates. in Carrollton where he earned a degree in mathematics and “I remember once a white classmate confided that he really didn’t psychology. He voluntarily joined the Navy as the Vietnam War know how to talk to me. I said ‘Just speak what’s on your mind and raged on the other side of the globe. The Navy realized he had a we’ll go from there,’” Jordan recalled. college degree and he received a Commission at Navy’s Officers “What do you say to white folks?” also crossed Jordan’s mind Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1973. He when he wanted to break the ice and start a conversation. continued to advance himself with specialized training, serving “I was probably a little on edge but I eventually learned that on two aircraft carriers and six other destroyers around the world the whites around me felt the same way. They didn't know and eventually serving as Commander Officer of one, a Guided how to carry on a conversation with a black, which is the term we Missile Destroyer. He served three short tours during his career. used in those days.”

Now 68 years old, Jordan is retired and lives in Virginia but As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the visits his aging parents in Canton and his grandchildren in the differences slowly melted away and each saw the other for what Decatur area. they were: young adults on a shared quest for knowledge that Thanks to the accomplishments of Jordan and others, the world would, along the way, make the world a better place. Strangers has moved on. The younger generations only know of segregation became friends and bonds developed that have now spanned from textbooks and Black History Month. It is a distant memory five decades. to many.

As the semester crawled from fall into winter and then spring, “I learned that friends and acquaintances don’t have color, that conversations opened windows into each other’s world. And some they are people who share life with you and walk with you along of it was humorous in its own way. life’s path.”

“The stereotypes we had of each other were really funny in some And those life lessons began with those first steps and a walk ways, but that’s all we knew,” he said in retrospect. across the Reinhardt College campus.

What they saw on black-and-white television was reflected in their black-and-white lives.

“I shared with those who eventually became friends the Joe Westbury is a professional journalist in Atlanta, Georgia. He has written widely for publications on topics of general interest and his love of travel. shattering reality that not all blacks can sing or dance. I told them Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 19

2015 – 2016

Reinhardt’s 10 Under 10 honors a group of 10 alumni who graduated within the last 10 years (2005 - 2015) and are successful in their professions.

You can find the 10 Under 10 criteria and selection timeline at reinhardt.edu/nominate10Under10.

Nominate yourself, a classmate, coworker or friend.

Anas Altarawneh ’13 Anas Altarawneh is a senior consultant at Accenture. In this role, he assists various Fortune 500 clients on implementing Oracle Business Intelligence Application suites and he’s in charge of organizational change management to help the business users adapt to the newly implemented software. Altarawneh graduated from Reinhardt University's McCamish School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. During his time at Reinhardt, he was the assistant head coach for the men’s and women’s tennis teams.

Elizabeth Coe Carnes ’14 Elizabeth Carnes graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in music performance.

During her final semester at Reinhardt, she accepted a position as Artist in Residence at the Atlanta Harp Center.

While there, she thrived as a teacher, sales consultant and artist. At the end of last year, Carnes made the decision to enter into vocational ministry. She accepted a position in Young Adult Ministry at First Redeemer Church in Cumming. Through that position, she oversees not only the young adult division, but also the music in the contemporary worship service. Carnes serves as the Georgia Chapter Secretary to the American Harp Society.

She also maintains a private teaching studio and is an active freelance performer in the metro Atlanta area.

She and her husband, Trenn, also a Reinhardt alumnus, are still basking in the glow of being newlyweds.

20 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

Mallory Childers ‘10 Mallory Childers graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education in 2010.

She was honored to be the student speaker at her commencement ceremony. Upon graduation, she was certified to teach both early childhood education and special education general curriculum. Childers began working at Tate Elementary School in 2011 as a special education teacher and still holds this position today. She serves as the lead special education teacher at her school. She was named Tate Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year for the 2013-14 school year. She recently completed her Master of Special Education degree.

Childers resides in Jasper, with her husband, Patton Childers II, who is also a Reinhardt graduate. They are currently preparing for the arrival of their twins this summer.

Randy Crider ‘15 Randy Crider is the fire chief at Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services and has been with the department for 25 years. He graduated from Reinhardt's MBA program in 2015.

Since joining Cobb County Fire-ES in October of 1990, Crider has worked his way through the ranks from firefighter, to deputy chief to his current position as fire chief.

Crider holds many specialty certifications including Georgia State Certified Firefighter and National Registry Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate. Crider lives with his wife, children, and step-children in Powder Springs, Georgia and is a member of Mount Harmony Baptist Church in Mableton.

Stefanie Jones ‘08 Canton native Stefanie Jones developed a love for travel and collecting vintage items from her parents at a very early age, which led to her hometown business, Junk Drunk Jones, in downtown Canton.

After marrying her college sweetheart and graduating from Reinhardt in 2008, she began an on-the-road and online antique store which has steadily evolved ever since. She created Junk Drunk Jones LLC. In March 2015, she purchased a 100-year-old building in historic downtown Canton.

After two months of renovations, Jones celebrated the grand opening of her first store front. Junk Drunk Jones specializes in authentic vintage collectibles and superior quality reproductions.

Beth Pullias ’10 Beth Pullias is the social engagement specialist for the American Red Cross. She works as the community manager for the Red Cross social media channels, assists chapters throughout the country and prepares social media reports while contributing to the daily content strategy across all social channels.

Before coming to the Red Cross, Pullias worked at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia for two-and-a-half years as a public relations and social media coordinator.

In that role, she helped begin the social media user group (SMUG) and started the Mason Nation Project on Twitter.

She graduated cum laude in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in communication. She currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with her husband and goldendoodle, Pippa.

Dr. Lena Joseph ‘05 Dr. Lena Joseph graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership in 2005 and a Master of Science in organizational leadership in 2007. In 2015, she earned a Ph.D. in public safety with a concentration in criminal justice. She works as a victim-advocate with the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, where she manages individuals in the criminal justice system listed as witnesses or victims. She has worked for the district attorney’s office for 18 years.

Joseph’s accolades include “Victim-Advocate of the Year” in 2015.

In her free time, she volunteers at Reinhardt University on the Alumni Board of Governors. She also volunteers with her church ministry (Atlanta Metro Way of the Cross Church), where she is an active member on the leadership committee and auxiliary board.

Samantha Lane ’12 Samantha Lane graduated from Reinhardt University in 2012 where she studied communication as a student athlete. At Reinhardt, she was a member of the communication honor society, Lambda Pi Eta, and was captain of the Lady Eagles Volleyball Team. She works at the Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business Program at Kennesaw State University.

As program coordinator, Lane has assisted in the development of the program’s annual study abroad program to London, England, coordinated multiple student and entertainment industry events, oversees all social media marketing, budgeting, operations and more.

One of the highlights of her career was attending the Country Music Awards in 2014 on behalf of the program founder, Joel A. Katz, who represents the CMA’s.

Kelsey Syers ’12 Kelsey Syers graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in middle grades education in 2012. She majored in Science and Language Arts Education and minored in Spanish.

After studying abroad in China, she completed her Master of Education in teaching English Speakers of Other Languages at Kennesaw State University. Syers spent a year as a Spanish and Japanese ESL teacher at a public school in Illinois and she is a literature and writing teacher at Hsinchu International School in Taiwan. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to historical sites throughout Asia and improving her Mandarin Chinese.

Jeffrey Weber ’10 Jeffrey Weber graduated in April 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. During his time at Reinhardt, he worked full time during the overnight hours, while maintaining a full-time class load. He also played on the men’s golf team.

After graduation, Weber began working for Infinite Energy Inc. as a sales representative. In 2012, he earned a promotion to senior sales representative. He also has been awarded Inside Sales Rep of the Year in 2011 and Senior Sales Rep of the Year in 2013 and 2014.

Weber, his wife, Jenna, and two daughters live in Canton and attend Revolution Church. The family has served on the host team at the church. In 2012, the Lord called Weber to lead a community group of 12-16 people, which he continues to do. In 2013, he took on the serving role as a group coordinator, which serves for eight to 10 other group leaders.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 21

Commencement 2016 "If you are going to be in competition, be in a competition with yourself to be the best you you hope to be. Understand that though this degree may have come at a great cost for many of us, that this only signifies its value is not to be squandered." – Teddy Casimir '16

22 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

Two hundred and seventy-three seniors earned their degrees in a Commencement Ceremony held at the James and Sis Brown Athletic Center on May 6.

Keynote speaker Dr. Brian Hightower urged graduates to not only know the what and the when aspects of their futures but the how, as well.

Graduate Teddy Casimir imparted words of wisdom and shared the roadblocks he had to overcome just to come to college. He urged graduates to be the best they could be and to not squander their hard-earned degrees.

Page 22, top left, clockwise: Dr. Kina Mallard applauds the Class of 2016 after conferring the almost 300 degrees earned.

Student Reflection Speaker Teddy Casimir prepares for the processional.

Anna Paquin celebrates her class's accomplishments during the recessional.

Ryan Bridges and Carlos Guzman arrive to the James and Sis Brown Athletic Center excited for Commencement.

Dr. Kina Mallard meets with Joeita Cochran Pearson, a 1946 alumna, who attended the 2016 Commencement Ceremony to support her great-grandson, Matthew Freeman, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.

Page 23, top left, counterclockwise: Connie Charlene Higgins, who gave the benediction at the 2016 Commencement Ceremony, is pictured with her parents, Juanita and Thomas Wilkie.

This is the first Commencement Ceremony for which Dr. Mallard has worn the Presidential Medallion.

Outgoing SGA President Jamieson Palmer gets ready for the ceremony.

Reinhardt is a

tradition

Joeita Cochran Pearson is pictured with her great-grandson Matthew Freeman at honors night for spring semester. Freeman graduated summa cum laude May 6 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.

Mrs. Pearson graduated from Reinhardt in May 1946 and was honored during the 2016 ceremony with the Golden Anniversary Alumni.

For many families, Reinhardt is not just a school to further one’s education, it is a tradition.

Spring 2016 Graduate Matthew Freeman comes from one of those families with a long connection to Reinhardt, and as he walked across the stage May 6, 2016, his great-grandmother — a Reinhardt alumna — was there to support him.

Freeman graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, and he follows in his great-grandmother’s footsteps. Joeita Cochran Pearson, of Waleska, graduated from Reinhardt 70 years ago in 1946.

“Joeita, along with her sister Dorothy and her brothers, Jack and Bobby, all at one point attended Reinhardt," Freeman said.

“Her nephew, Hillman Cochran, also attended college there.”

After graduating in May 1946, Joeita Cochran went on to marry Carl. T Pearson and taught school in Pickens County.

She later worked at Lockheed and continued her education at Oglethorpe University.

“I am honored and blessed for her to attend my graduation 70 years later,” Freeman said.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 23

Celebrating 40 years of commitment to Reinhardt

T

he Reinhardt family celebrated the service of a woman who has given her all to the institution for four decades.

Clara Chambers was honored with a 40th anniversary party March 14 at the Bannister Glasshouse.

Chambers was a housekeeper on campus until a medical issue slowed her down in November. She has been recovering since.

Chambers’ first connection to Reinhardt was in her adolescent days when she attended Reinhardt Academy for elementary and high school. She said she always knew she wanted to work here.

The dedicated employee joined Reinhardt in 1976 as a housekeeper — she worked with her husband, the late Wheeler Chambers, for 30 years, which is something she is proud of. They had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July 2005.

People flowed through the Bannister Glasshouse during the party held March 14 to honor the woman who calls Reinhardt her home away from home.

“Clara is the most conscientious worker that I have ever met,” said Missy Dayoub, director of Physical Plant, who oversees maintenance, housekeeping, grounds and horticulture.

“Everybody knows Miss Clara. We had faculty, staff, students, her former co-workers and family in attendance.”

Dayoub said about 100 people attended the 40th anniversary party held for Chambers.

She’s always full of energy with an infectious smile and follows the advice her father gave her: “My daddy always told me if I was going to do something, to do it the best that I could.”

She told the college in 2010 her favorite quote was “We got to get-r-done,” showing her commitment to finishing projects and staying on top of her work.

“Even at her age, she runs circles around the rest of us,” Dayoub said. “She has impressed numerous presidents over the years.”

And like the Reinhardt culture is known to be, Chambers agrees that it’s all about the students, as her favorite advice to give faculty and staff is to “take time for the students.”

Left: Clara Chambers was honored during Homecoming 2015 with the Jason Gamel Blue and Gold Spirit Award.

Right: Clara Chambers is pictured with her friends and former co-workers during her 40th anniversary party held in March.

Save These Dates…for Fall 2016 Aug. 27, Opening Football Game

Sept. 30, Inaugural “RU Eagles Athletic Hall of

vs. Point University, Waleska

Fame” Banquet, Brown Athletic Complex on Campus

Awareness in Cherokee County

Includes Hall of Fame kickoff, Blithe Spirit play at Canton Theater, Football vs. Bluefield College, Experience Reinhardt events

Sept. 11-17, “ADay for Reinhardt” Sept. 17, 5K for ADay, Canton

(Register at ADay5K.Reinhardt.edu)

Sept. 30-Oct. 1 Family Weekend at Reinhardt

Oct. 29-30 Reinhardt Homecoming “Legends of Reinhardt”

24 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

Doris Jones

moves on this summer to travel the country

Doris Jones, foreground, is pictured with her business office team, Donna Cochran, Robin Blackwell, Amanda Martin and Chuck Gravitt.

A

fter more than four decades, seven presidents and 10 vice presidents for finance, Doris Jones is turning in her calculator for traveling with her husband.

Jones started in the business office on May 7, 1972, when everything was done by hand. She has seen Reinhardt University grow by leaps and bounds, from student bank accounts in the business office and paper ledgers and calculators to a controller leading the department and everything being computer based.

“We used to figure charges by hand. Students would bring us cards with their schedule, what they were taking and their hours, and we would figure by hand what they were going to be charged.

Then we would have to manually post to their accounts,” Jones said of when she began working in the business office. “First we used the Burrows bookkeeping machine that we used for posting but then we went to a computer system.”

Not only has she seen the process change, she has witnessed fees go from $18 per credit hour to $665 per credit hour.

“We went from per credit hour charges to block tuition fees,” she added.

Change is something she has embraced as she has watched Reinhardt and the world evolve, and she said it is inevitable. She encourages students and others to embrace it and to be adaptable.

“If you are going to get along in this world, you better be able to adapt,” she said.

Living just a few miles down the road, Reinhardt offered a close place for her to work when she and her husband, J.T., moved to Waleska in 1964. While the convenience was a perk, she said Reinhardt has benefited her over the years and she always felt like she was part of a family.

The quiet, humble accountant is more of an outdoor person and enjoys seeing the sights — her favorite spots on Reinhardt’s pristine campus are the trail behind the gym and Zach White’s flower garden, she said.

Jones still will be around the Waleska area when she is not traveling. Her official retirement date is June 30 but she and her husband already have plans in motion.

“Travel when I want to. Anywhere I can go to,” she said about her plans for retirement.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 25

Athletic Honors NAIA Scholar Athletes Corey Ricks Josh Stone Lauren Mullinax Payton Smith Brent Blackwell Rafael Salazar-Cruz Kaylee Rinesmith

NAIA All-American Niagel Curtis (2nd Team)

Co-SIDA Academic All-District Katie Goodrich Katie Hale Megan McCall

All-Conference (1st Team) Corey Ricks Kateca Favors Ben Dulin Brandon Price Kameron Williams Austin Ambrose Dennis Bell Chase Holmes Kevon James Jeff Mathis Grant Sufferling Dillon Thompson Aliyah Bryant Alan Barikos Jordan Williams Madie Easterwood Stephanie Goins Allie Hale Katie Hale Taylor Braselton Madison Luck Micalah Sacre Taylor Weeks Randi Wimpy Emory Deloach Nikita Hrynov Fabio Pereira Maksim Yorsh Alyssa Kroll Paula Puentes Yamit Vodovaz LJ Stegall Sam McDade Nate Trottier Justin Zachary Tyler Martin Duncan Jones Anna Mills Ally Hurd Joe Cannon Niagel Curtis Javier Dyer Marcus Miller Sherrod Mitchell LJ Stegall

Academic Honors All-Academic Justin Bridges Josh Cooper Duncan Jones Corey Ricks Milos Sikimic Angel Foster Stephanie Kuhrt Lauren Mullinax JessAnn Nix Dani Pray Payton Smith Erika Woodfin

AT THE TOP

of their game RU fall and spring sports fare well in competition.

einhardt Athletics had a tremendous year with several championships and success stories. The Lady Eagles were awarded an NAIA Softball Opening Round host site, which was played May 16-18 at Ken White Field. For the third time in seven years, Reinhardt won both the outright Appalachian Athletic Conference softball regular season and tournament championships.

The Lady Eagles enter NAIA postseason play with a record of 41-10 and on a season best 17-game winning streak.

TheMen’sGolfteamalsowontheAACregular season and tournament championships. The men won the AAC’s postseason tournament by two strokes at Governors Towne Club in April and will head to the 65th Annual NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships at TPC Deere Run in Moline, Ill., May 24-27. This is the same course the PGA Tour uses for the John Deere Classic every year.

On the tennis courts, both the men’s and women’s teams also pulled the double by winning the regular season and tournament championships of the AAC. The men’s tennis team won the AAC regular season championship outright by defeating Tennessee Wesleyan, while the Lady Eagles earned a three-way tie for the regular season championship with Milligan and SCAD Atlanta.

At the AAC Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn., the women’s team earned its first conference tournament title by defeating Milligan, 5-2. The men’s team defeated TWC, 5-3, to take the AAC Championship for the second year in a row.

R

26 • Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016

Both earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship that was set for May 17-21 in Mobile, Ala. This is the first NAIA National Championship bid for the women’s tennis program and the second for the men.

The men’s lacrosse team secured the win for the inaugural AAC Championship this spring with an 11-4 victory over St. Andrews in Athens,Tennessee. By virtue of winning the tournament, the Eagles advanced to the NAIA Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina, where they fell to Siena Heights (Michigan).

For the outcomes of the spring tournaments, visit reinhardteagles.com.

Fall sports closed out nicely with the football team finishing out with its best record in program history. The Eagles went 9-2 in Mid-South Conference play. The Eagles hit their highest ranking in program history at No. 7, finishing the season out at No. 10 in the country.

One of the highlights of the season was when the Eagles beat Lindsay Wilson, the No. 1 team in the country at home, on Oct. 24.

The 42-24 win in October, as well as its first ever trip to the NAIA Football Championship Series, were two big feathers in their caps as they are still a young team that recently completed its third season.

The Lady Eagles’ soccer team gave no surprises this past season as they strengthened their reputation for excellence finishing out as both AAC regular season and tournament champions.They defeatedTruettMcConnell, 6-1, to earn the tournament title.

Overall, the Lady Eagles finished the season 17-3-1 and ranked No. 25 in the NAIA polls for the program’s first ever ranking in the Top 25.

Academic Honors

#FliptheSwitch and...

LIGHT THE

All-Academic (cont.)

Hardt

Gifts welcome for RU’s Light the Hardt Campaign uch-needed lights on the football, soccer and lacrosse field are expected to be installed this summer and the University still is accepting financial gifts toward the project.

“One of the biggest challenges we have as an athletic department is splitting time among five programs that play on our turf field in a way that doesn’t have an adverse effect on missed classes,” said RU director of athletics Bill Popp.

“In addition to creating a tremendous atmosphere for home games that can be played at night, being able to stretch out the windows of practice times in a way that is more conducive for our programs

M

will go a long way to enhancing the student-athlete experience at Reinhardt.”

The three sports service more than 250 student-athletes, and lighting Ken White Field will allow the football, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse teams to practice later in the day and play at night, which will give more daylight time for academics.

Donations to the “Light the Hardt” Campaign can be made online at reinhardt.edu/LighttheHardt, by sending a check to Reinhardt University, Athletic Office, 7300 Reinhardt Circle, Waleska, Ga. 30189, or by calling Jeffrey Pourchier at 770-720-5824.

Brent Blackwell Alex Garcia Rafael Salazar-Cruz Alex Suciu Nick Zvirbulis Ansley Avera Shelby Bennett Cameron Hawkins Kayle Rinesmith Brandon Price Jarae Comstock Stephanie Grove Karley Harmon Justin Crozier Callum Farrell Matthew Gray Declan Haughton Mark Logan Zach McCown Samson Nyamunda Jose Rubio Jordan Williams Luke Williams Taylor Asher Victoria Cassidy Kristin Clegg Hannah Easterwood Madie Easterwood Stephanie Goins Katie Goodrich Allie Hale Hannah Hale Katie Hale Amber Jent Colby LaFever Megan McCall Chelsey Munday Anna Phillips Lindsey White Katie Blair Taylor Braselton Maddie Evans Sydney Flowers Melora Kay Hanna McKinely Maci Mills Carleigh Myatt Angela Roberts Taylor Weeks Nicolas Duarte Maksim Yorsh Stanislava Klymova Alyssa Kroll Paula Purentes Sam Croce Kayley Edgar Arden Fox Lindsay Higgins Ansley Smith Mary Ruth Wheeler Katelyn Weinberg Malcolm Anderson Austin Beauchamp Johnathon Chamblee Caleb Faulkner Christian Hill Nick Johnson Brandon Keith Marcus Miller Hunter Oswald Will Sizemore Gordon Thigpen Logan Witherow DeVante Wynn Editor's Note: All-conference second team and all-freshmen team players are listed at reinhardteagles.com.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 27

Popp Named AAC Athletic Director of the Year Reinhardt's Athletic Director Bill Popp was named the 2015-16 AAC Athletic Director of the Year at the conference spring meeting held in Tennessee. During the 2015-16 season, Reinhardt shared or won the regular season championship in six sports and won six tournament championships. To see how the teams fared, see Pages 26-27. Popp is pictured with President Dr. Kina Mallard and Board of Trustees Chairman Billy Hasty.

New Sports Coming this Fall Two new sports and coaches will arrive this fall with the entrance of men’s wrestling and men’s and women’s bowling.

Jeff Bedard (pictured), who comes from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has been named the first head coach of Reinhardt’s wrestling program, while Stoney Baker, the owner of Cherokee Lanes in Canton, will be the University’s inaugural men’s and women’s bowling coach.

“We are so excited to begin our two newest sports, wrestling and bowling," said athletic director Bill Popp. “Both sports offer new and unique opportunities for student-athletes to compete in sports that are relatively underrepresented in the southeast at the collegiate level.

Reinhardt plans to join the Mid-South Conference for men’s bowling, women’s bowling, and men’s wrestling, though if more schools in the Appalachian Athletic Conference — the primary home for RU’s teams - start the sports, the AAC will again be an option.

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Sports Medicine Partnership Proving Beneficial Assistant Athletic Trainer Kellen Servington tapes tennis player Fabio Pereira's ankle in the University's training center. Below: Dr. Matthew Simmons helps Basketball/Volleyball player Ashlyn Brandon rehab her hand. Athletic Trainer Ashley Wolary also is pictured. einhardt University has joined forces with Northside HospitalCherokee for sports medicine services, giving athletes direct connections with medical staff to keep them healthy and to help with injury.

The hospital is working with Reinhardt athletics, as well as the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency, to offer sports-related services including nutrition, athlete education, coach education, sports competition assistance and oversight.

Northside Hospital-Cherokee also provides athletes with primary, emergency and specialty care, including custom sports medicine orthopedics, through the work of Dr. Matthew Simmons.

“The partnership is going really well thus far,” said Ashley Wolary, head athletic trainer. “They have been extremely helpful in the vision that I have for the Sports Medicine Program here at RU. We have the physicians at our fingertips, always ready for whatever our needs are. They are a fantastic support system.”

Northside’s focus not only is on the student athletes but coaches see benefits of the partnership, including education on concussion management.

“Northside’s expanded local services allow athletes and their families to be seen

R

immediately by our healthcare providers and have their information seamlessly shared across specialties for continuity of care," said Katie Pearson, director of operations at Northside HospitalCherokee.

Wolary said she sees the partnership working already for both the athletes and training staff.

“Having that community denominator is big for us as we are all working for the common goal,” she said. “My athletic training staff is able to work alongside our physicians as peers and really decide what is best for our student athlete (which benefits the athlete, as well), but having that trust factor both ways between us and our physicians is huge.”

AROUND CAMPUS Mikado Shines at Falany

Dr. Corey Schantz and the Reinhardt Opera Program presented 'The Mikado' at the Falany Performing Arts Center April 22-23. Courtney Boggs, Alyssa Smith and Elise Davis are pictured.

New Leaders for a New Year

The 2016-17 Student Government Association Executive Board was elected and inaugurated in April. From left: Alex Lee will be Chief of Staff, while Luke Williams will serve as Vice President of Administration. Amy Williams holds the position of Chair of Rules and Regulations, and Katie Purcell was elected the Student Body President. Clifton Clark will serve as Secretary, Davis Banks was elected the Vice President of the Student Activities Council, and Abel Ramirez is the Chair of Commuter Life. Darrel Arnold will serve as the Chair of Resident Life, and Brandon Keith will uphold the duties of the Treasurer. They are pictured with Dr. Kina Mallard, center.

S'mores with Sophomores at the President's Home

Sophomores were invited to the President's Home spring semester to enjoy treats during the S'mores with Sophomores event. Abby Snelson and Keren Morales roast marshmallows, while Dr. Mallard and 2015-16 Student Body President Jamie Palmer enjoy the fire and roast marshmallows. Dr. Kina Mallard enjoys S’mores with Sophomores during spring semester with Taylor Meeks, Talyn Owens and Joynita Etheridge. S’mores with Sophomores is one of the many events Dr. Mallard hosts to engage students on campus.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 29

Education lifetime of learning, faith and commitment has one Reinhardt alumna looking back on life with a smile.

Lucille Rich, 77, thought she would simply be a wife, mother and worker for her entire life, but when an angel walked into her life in the 1960s, the pages in her story changed.

Rich was a high-school drop-out. At the tender age of 17, she married the man who stole her heart, James Rich, and just a few months later they were expecting their first child. The Ball Ground native would bear five children over the course of her life: Randy, Sandra, Gary, Tammy and Kirk.

She was working at the local poultry plant when her husband took a job on Dr. D.T. Darnell’s Farm in Tate. His wife, Jean, was a schoolteacher at Pickens County Head Start. Rich did not have her degree but Jean Darnell encouraged her to take the proper steps to advance her education.

Darnell arranged for her to go to Cobb County to take the GED exam.

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“I passed that. I was always an avid reader but I just thought I was going to be a mom and a worker all my life,” Rich said. “After I passed my GED on my first try — I was proud of that — I thought that was it.”

Darnell recommended to the Pickens County Head Start director that Rich be an aide in the classroom – a job she happily took that would lead her down a path to affecting many young lives.

With Darnell’s encouragement, Rich came to Reinhardt to take her SATs. “Then she said ‘Just start taking classes.

It will you help you in this work,” she said.

“So I started taking one class and then the next semester maybe I’ll take two, and it just kept going and I began to gain confidence in myself.”

While at Reinhardt, professor Jane England impressed on her knowledge that would impact her overall life.

“Reinhardt has always been precious to me because there was a history teacher named Mrs. Jane England. She went over everything that would influence a person

from the outside world and she said beware of these because you need to make your own decision. Consider everything but don’t let anyone make up your mind for you,” Rich remembered. “It seemed like I was just a sponge as she talked. She was a great history teacher.”

England spent 31 years at Reinhardt teaching history and political science.

She also served as the student newspaper advisor and chairperson of the faculty.

After her retirement in 2001, Reinhardt established the Jane England Faculty Award for Excellence, as well as a scholarship fund, in her honor.

England passed away in 2007.

Rich would end up graduating from Reinhardt College in 1973 with honors and more credit hours than she needed.

She took those credit hours to Brenau University and graduated with honors with her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

Upon receiving her four-year degree, Rich passed the national teaching exam

and began working at Clayton Elementary School teaching fourth grade. While at Clayton, she went back to school earning her master’s degree in middle grades education.

Rich’s dedication in the classroom did not go unnoticed: she was named schoollevel Teacher of the Year three times in the Cherokee County School District at Ball Ground Elementary, Clayton Elementary and Teasley Middle School, as well as once in the Pickens County School District.

She was named district-wide Teacher of the Year in Cherokee County while at Ball Ground Elementary during the 1976-77 school year and at Teasley Middle during the 1992 school year.

Rich spent her life teaching others and said she believes in lifetime learning. She continues to educate herself with reading and attending class. She is a member of the Ball Ground Library Book Club and the Funk Book Club at Reinhardt University.

While she believes in lifetime learning, she has not completely turned in her teacher’s hat. She volunteers her time to teach a writing class to mostly homeschooled students at the Ball Ground Library.

Rich’s impact on lives is plentiful. She greatly encouraged now Cherokee County Board of Education member Patsy Jordan when they taught together in Pickens County.

“We shared lesson plans, classroom management ideas and a love for teaching and learning,” Jordan said.

“Lucille Rich was not only an educator but a classroom hero. She was a beacon of inspiration for me, her colleagues and students.”

With a plethora of experience inside and outside the classroom, Rich has great insight for current students, recent graduates and aspiring teachers.

“Attitude counts in everything you do.

Don’t go into anything with a ‘no’ attitude,” she said. “Follow the rules and give glory to God.” Rich said she has had a happy and blessed life so far and is thrilled that she was able to find what God had planned for her.

“I am one of those people that was blessed to find what God wanted me to do with my life,” she said. “He sent angels along the way like Mrs. Darnell and Jane England to help me make it.”

The $500 award was named for long-time Reinhardt faculty member Jane England who retired in May 2001 and passed away in January 2007. England was a professor of history and political science for 31 years at the institution. She also served in numerous leadership roles, including advisor to the student newspaper and chairperson of the faculty. Upon her retirement, Reinhardt established this annual faculty award, along with a scholarship fund, in her honor.

Entries for the prize may be self-nominated or nominated by a person connected with the college. Nominations must include justification for the nominees’ worthiness to receive the prize for faculty excellence. Faculty members who regularly teach full-time on the Waleska campus are eligible to be nominated. Nominees must provide a vita, syllabi, student evaluations and any other documentation they wish to include for consideration. Materials are reviewed by a judging committee.

Visit reinhardt.edu/advancement to learn how you can give to the University.

Reinhardt Magazine Spring 2016 • 31

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REINHARDT MAGAZINE is published by the Office of Marketing at Reinhardt University. © 2016 Reinhardt University.

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Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.™ is the motto of the United Methodist Church with which Reinhardt is affiliated.